April 23, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Advantage.

Something good comes from everything. Now that we are housebound, friends answer the phone when I call. In the past, I would leave a message. But not now. Everyone answers their phone, which is good for me. When Ken and I were house bound, we were house bound together so I had interesting conversations with Ken. But now I am housebound by myself so am short of good conversations. Kashina comes three times a week so I do have company but as she never reads, she does not bring much of interest to the table. Christina, Molly and Mary Frances come at least once a week, which gives me a break but I still am by myself much of the time. My solution is to call my friends and talk. This evening, I called my friend Sara Lou. She answered after one ring. Normally I leave a message on her tape and she calls back. We had a great conversation, at least I enjoyed it. We talked of things great and small. And we talked about what we eat. Living alone makes for peculiar meals. Sara Lou told me that she has eaten the same thing four nights in a row. I had to admit that I ate red beans and rice four days in a row. We talked about the virus and the impact on real estate and of course we caught up with our respective families. And I talked this afternoon with my daughter in law Suzanne who lives in San Antonio. Again, talking with Suzanne was difficult because she is so busy. But now she teaches from home so she answered immediately and we talked longer than usual. Their family is doing well. David has the longest commute to work when he walks to the bottom of the garden to his office. The twins hope their school will hold a graduation. The school has selected three prospective dates: one in. May, one in June and one in July. They both hope that their colleges will open on time. So the virus that is keeping us all at home has been helpful to me. If I am short of conversation, I phone a friend. I like it. And it keeps me happy